The work that more than any other popularized the optimistic philosophy, not only in england but throughout europe, was alexander pope's essay on man 1733 34 , a rationalistic effort to justify the ways of god to man philosophically. As has been stated in the introduction, voltaire had become well acquainted with the english poet during his stay of more than two years in england, and the two had corresponded with each other with a fair degree of regularity when voltaire returned to the continent. He hailed the essay of criticism as superior to horace, and he described the rape of the lock as better than lutrin. when the essay on man was published, voltaire sent a copy to the norman abbot du resnol and may possibly have helped the abbot prepare the first french translation, which was so well received. The very title of his discours en vers sur l'homme 1738 indicates the extent voltaire was influenced by pope. It has been pointed out that at times, he does little more than echo the same thoughts expressed by the english poet. Even as late as 1756, the year in which he published his poem on the destruction of lisbon, he lauded the author of essay on man. in the edition of lettres philosophiques published in that year, he wrote: the essay on man appears to me to be the most beautiful didactic poem, the most useful, the most sublime that has ever been composed in any language.

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Perhaps this is no more than another illustration of how voltaire could vacillate in his attitude as he struggled with the problems posed by the optimistic philosophy in its relation to actual experience. He picked up pope's recurring phrase whatever is, is right and made mockery of it: tout est bien in a world filled with misery! pope denied that he was indebted to leibnitz for the ideas that inform his poem, and his word may be accepted. Those ideas were first set forth in england by anthony ashley cowper, earl of shaftesbury 1671 1731. They pervade all his works but especially the moralist. indeed, several lines in the essay on man, particularly in the first epistle, are simply statements from the moralist done in verse. Although the question is unsettled and probably will remain so, it is generally believed that pope was indoctrinated by having read the letters that were prepared for him by bolingbroke and that provided an exegesis of shaftesbury's philosophy.

The main tenet of this system of natural theology was that one god, all wise and all merciful, governed the world providentially for the best. Most important for shaftesbury was the principle of harmony and balance, which he based not on reason but on the general ground of good taste. Believing that god's most characteristic attribute was benevolence, shaftesbury provided an emphatic endorsement of providentialism. Following are the major ideas in essay on man: 1 a god of infinite wisdom exists 2 he created a world that is the best of all possible ones 3 the plenum, or all embracing whole of the universe, is real and hierarchical 4 authentic good is that of the whole, not of isolated parts 5 self love and social love both motivate humans' conduct 6 virtue is attainable 7 one truth is clear, whatever is, is right. According to this principle, vices, themselves to be deplored, may lead to virtues. For example, motivated by envy, a person may develop courage and wish to emulate the accomplishments of another and the avaricious person may attain the virtue of prudence. One can easily understand why, from the beginning, many felt that pope had depended on leibnitz.

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The subtitle of the first epistle is of the nature and state of man, with respect to the universe, and this section deals with man’s place in the cosmos. Pope argues that to justify god’s ways to man must necessarily be to justify his ways in relation to all other things. God rules over the whole universe and has no special favorites, not man nor any other creature. By nature, the universe is an order of strong connexions, nice dependencies, / gradations just 30 1. This order is, more specifically, a hierarchy of the vast chain of being in which all of god’s creations have a place 237. Because the universe is so highly ordered, chance, as man understands it, does not exist.

Those things that man sees as disparate or unrelated are all but parts of one stupendous whole, / whose body nature is, and god the soul 267 8. Thus every element of the universe has complete perfection according to god’s purpose. Pope concludes the first epistle with the statement whatever is, is right, meaning that all is for the best and that everything happens according to god’s plan, even though man may not be able to comprehend it 294. Here is a section by section explanation of the first epistle: introduction 1 16: the introduction begins with an address to henry st. John, lord bolingbroke, a friend of the poet from whose fragmentary philosophical writings pope likely drew inspiration for an essay on man. Pope urges his friend to leave all meaner things and rather embark with pope on his quest to vindicate the ways of god to man 1, 16.

Section i 17 34: section i argues that man can only understand the universe with regard to human systems and constructions because he is ignorant of the greater relationships between god’s creations. Section ii 35 76: section ii states that man is imperfect but perfectly suited to his place within the hierarchy of creation according to the general order of things. Section i 77 112: section i demonstrates that man 39 s happiness depends on both his ignorance of future events and on his hope for the future. Section iv 113 30: section iv claims that man’s sin of pride the attempt to gain more knowledge and pretend to greater perfection is the root of man’s error and misery. By putting himself in the place of god, judging perfection and justice, man acts impiously.

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Section v 131 72: section v depicts the absurdity of man’s belief that he is the sole cause of the creation as well as his ridiculous expectation of perfection in the moral world that does not exist in the natural world. Section vi 173 206: section vi decries the unreasonableness of man’s complaints against providence god is good, giving and taking equally. Section vii 207 32: section vii shows that throughout the visible world, a universal order and gradation can be observed. This is particularly apparent in the hierarchy of earthly creatures and their subordination to man.

Pope refers specifically to the gradations of sense, instinct, thought, reflection, and reason. Section vi 233 58: section vi indicates that if god’s rules of order and subordination are broken, the whole of creation must be destroyed. Section ix 259 80: section ix illustrates the madness of the desire to subvert god’s order. Absolute submission to god will ensure that man remains safe in the hand of one disposing pow’r 287. Pope’s first epistle seems to endorse a sort of fatalism, in which all things are fated. Everything happens for the best, and man should not presume to question god’s greater design, which he necessarily cannot understand because he is a part of it. He further does not possess the intellectual capability to comprehend god’s order outside of his own experience.

According to pope’s thesis, everything that exists plays a role in the divine plan. God thus has a specific intention for every element of his creation, which suggests that all things are fated. As a proponent of the doctrine of free will, pope’s personal opinions seem at odds with his philosophical conclusions in the first epistle. Reconciling pope’s own views with his fatalistic description of the universe represents an impossible task. Pope states that his task is to describe man’s place in the universal system and to vindicate the ways of god to man 16. In the poem’s prefatory address, pope more specifically describes his intention to consider man in the abstract, his nature and his state, since, to prove any moral duty, to enforce any moral precept, or to examine the perfection of imperfection of any creature whatsoever, it is necessary first to know what condition and relation it is placed in, and what is the proper end and purpose of its being. Pope’s stated purpose of the poem further problematizes any critical reading of the first epistle.

According to pope’s own conclusions, man’s limited intellect can comprehend only a small portion of god’s order and likewise can have knowledge of only half truths. It therefore seems the height of hubris to presume to justify god’s ways to man. As a mere component part of god’s design and a member of the hierarchical middle state, pope exists within god’s design and therefore cannot perceive the greater logic of god’s order. Though pope’s philosophical ambitions result in a rather incoherent epistle, the poem demonstrates a masterful use of the heroic couplet. For example, the quotation hope springs eternal in the human breast: / man never is, but always to be blest appears in the problematic first epistle 95 6. Pope’s skill with verse thus far outweighs his philosophical aspirations, and it is fortunate that he chose to write in verse rather than prose. Indeed, eighteenth century critics saw an essay on man as a primarily poetic work despite its philosophical themes.

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